First U.S. plane lands at Baghdad airport

Reuters | 4/06/03

[kattracks]

First U.S. plane lands at Baghdad airport

BAGHDAD AIRPORT, April 6 (Reuters) - The first U.S. military aircraft landed at Baghdad airport on Sunday, a U.S. military source told Reuters.

"At least one aircraft has landed at the airport," said the senior source in the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division's aviation brigade, who was at the airport.

He said a C-130 military transporter landed at about 8 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), about an hour after dark, on the western, military side of the airport. He gave no details of whether it was carrying a load.

U.S. forces seized the airport, some 20 km (12 miles) southwest of the city centre, on Friday. They said on Sunday they controlled practically all road access to the city too.

04/06/03 13:15 ET

[Anamensis]

All your airports are belong to us!!

[golas1964]

I'm certain that was the same disabled M1A1 that shown on the FNC/Greg Kelly 'Exclusive Video'.

[my right]

Aren't turboprops driven by a jet engine configuration??

[Normal4me]

I was thinking about all of the "Pot Holes" our bombs put in the runways...I wish I could get the army engineers to repair my road that fast! :-)

[1poedpatriot]

it was, M1A2 SEP was taken out by an rpg from the overpass, they hit the top of the engine and the explosion hit the tc causing head wounds ( which were fatal ), crew spun the turret around and took out the slime balls, other crews assisted and lit off a thermite to melt the inside, did you notice the ragheads still attacked it even though it was toast on Friday !

[flitton]

Half the luggage still on carousel at Heathrow.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Puleeeeeze stop the propaganda, we all know that Airport is still Saddam International, and the brave Iraqi Democratican Guard has chased the cowardly Coalition Forces out of the country. Talk about walking on water-picture two hundred thousand troops, running on water.

The famous elite democratican Guard has secured Iraq from the invaders, and Saddam will soon crawl out from under the rock under which he has been curled up in the fetal position, sucking his thumb since the first bomb fell, and declare victory.

Did I mention that this is sarcasm?

[1poedpatriot]

hunh, " the coalition have not been able to leave Kuwait due to the loyal iraqi's forces hiiting the infidels where it hurts " Baghdad Bob

[Techster]

Turboprop = turbine powered propeller

[MattGarrett]

I am saddened. Deeply saddened.
- Tom SaDaschle Hussein

[ewing]

You forgot to mention that our Marines are running out of food..

[my right]

Turboprop = turbine powered propeller

Could you define diff. between turbine and Jet?

[Young Werther]

The first elements to be deployed to an airport would be the Air Traffic Controllers, their Runway Service Unit, (RSU a mini control tower) and the communications support to make the airport operational!

This kit fits in a C-130 and would be followed by the Logistics equipment needed to handle cargo and control overall operations.

If this were a hot zone then 130s could always use LAPES, (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) cargo drops where they would extract the cargo at touchdown height and then barrel back into the air, (developed in Viet Nam). Since they've landed the 130, the establishment of normal operations would appear to be the method chosen.

[VRWC_minion]

I guess Baghdad Bob won't be cashing in his frequent flyer miles right away.

[VRWC_minion]

A lull is a subset of a quagmire. This was a quagmire at the outset and will remain so until the next country is fought over. Within the quagmire we have pauses and lulls.

[RightOnline]

Largest? Oh, there are larger. The C-130 really isn't that big. Of course, I flew KC-135's, and on the ramp at Dyess AFB back in the '80's, side by side with the Herky Birds, those -130's looked pretty small. :) Check out Russian military aircraft if you want to see some BIG honkers with props.

[RightOnline]

By the way, all the -130 can land on a very, very short landing strip. The fact that a -130 landed at BIA doesn't mean much except symbolically.

Now, if I see a -135 or a C-5 or a KC-10 or some such land/take off, I'll truly be impressed.:)

[elfman2]

"This German guy hinted last night that they might not be free to leave."

Wonder how many German citizens'll be moved by that…

[F.J. Mitchell]

Lawdy! Lawdy! Things are even worse than I thought. Do you suppose our pitifully inadequate troops can hold the Iraqi's out of Kuwait, til a force of French surrender experts arrive to teach our troops how to fabricate white surrender flags and train them in the fine art of surrender?

I don't know whether to invest my life savings in Burka stock, or portraits oh Hussein. I imagine either is soon to be the route to great wealth.

[OldFriend]

BBC agreeing this is nothing more than a Steven Speilberg production.